Helmsman advise outsourcing Health and Safety

Businesses often outsourcing their IT, HR, telecommunications, or marketing functions, but there are benefits to outsourcing their Health and Safety, says Tony Willson, Managing Director, Helmsman.

In 2007/8, 34 million days were lost in the workplace (1.4 days per worker); 28 million of these days were due to work related ill health, and 6 million to workplace injury.

No-one, especially in the current economic climate, can afford their staff to lose valuable work time.

The UK law rules that all organisations with five or more employees must have a written health and safety policy, documented risk assessment for all significant hazards, access to competent health and safety advice, and an annual fire inspection of the premises.

That's fine, but not all businesses have the time or the expertise to ensure their health and safety systems are properly managed, and of course if an employee has an accident and the company is found at fault, they could be liable for substantial damages.

For many businesses outsourcing their health and safety function is the ideal solution.

Working with a professional provider immediately gives a company peace of mind, access to specialised skills, which will help the smooth running of the business and up their health and safety record too.

Staff are also 'freed-up' to concentrate on their role, using their expert skills to do their job, which results in greater profit for an organisation.

At Helmsman Safety Services we offer a flexible approach, as we realise not one solution will suit all.

We've just launched a range of 'Safe and Sure' services.

There's bronze, silver, gold and bespoke options starting from just GBP75 per month, and are aimed at 5-person businesses to major corporations.

The flexible packages offer professional advice, reviews of health and safety policies and procedures, scheduled visits, plus access to a hotline and newsletters.

We also offer health and safety training to ensure companies health and safety officers, catering professionals and first aiders are up-to-date with the latest rules and regulations.

When a company takes control over such a vital area of a business it is essential that good working relationships are set-up, and teams get to know the people they will be working with.

We also recommend clients set key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure everyone knows what targets they're looking to achieve.

Our clients have told us that we've saved them a lot of time and hassle by what many consider to be a 'tricky' part of their business.

They've stopped getting frustrated and confused over the latest government legislation, and staff that were bogged down with tasks that they didn't enjoy, are now far more motivated.

We've also helped clients tender for public sector work, by giving them the necessary paperwork.

Because we know what we're doing we can manage budgets cost effectively, and at a time when everyone has to evaluate job roles, outsourcing your health and safety could really help you manage your bottom line.

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